Red was not a popular color for watches this past season with only Franck Muller and Hermes’ offering red timepieces. Leave it to Hublot, to create a stir with a bold new, red ceramic watch. The Hublot Big Bang UNICO Red Magic is limited to just 500 pieces and we can promise that it will sell out before most people even hear about the watch.
While ceramic watches in white and black are pretty common these days, ceramic is not a material that takes kindly to every color. Unlike cases made from stainless steel or gold, ceramic watch cases must be baked to finish them and many colors can be ruined in the process. However, Hublot’s R&D department and Metallurgy & Materials laboratory spent four years developing their product from endless experimentation to finally applying for a patent – and the process paid off since their ceramic is harder and more resilient than conventional ceramics.
The watch’s 45 mm case and bezel are made from this patented and polished ceramic in a bold shade of red. The flange, indexes, minute and seconds counters, Arabic numerals and hands all mirror the flame hue which contrast with the black Unico HUB1242 automatic manufacture movement and its column wheel. The lined rubber strap continues the red and black theme.
Hublot has said that their process will enable them to create other vibrantly colored ceramics, so we can probably expect more ceramic timepieces in bright shades.
[Hublot]
